How to Make a Hair Weave Last Longer

by Contributing Writer ; Updated September 28, 2017

How to Make a Hair Weave Last Longer

Courtesy of Expert Village

Hair extensions have made it possible for women with short hair to have long beautiful tresses and for others with long hair to try out shorter styles without drastically cutting their natural hair. You can add body and texture, and achieve all sorts of styles with a hair weave that you may not be able to do with your natural hair. But trips to the beautician can become quite pricey. There are a few simple things you can do to keep your hair weave looking salon-fresh longer.

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Wrap your hair in a silk scarf before bed at night. This will keep the tracks at the top of your head, where wear becomes evident first, lying flat and in position. The silk scarf also won't snag the hair and break the ends like a cotton scarf will.

Brush gently. It's important to brush your weave daily, just as you'd groom you're natural hair. When brushing, be very careful not to pull out a glued track, or loosen the braid of a sewn in track. Hold the weave in place with one hand on the head as you gently brush down the shaft with the other hand to minimize pulling.

Shampoo once a week. Shampooing your weave too much can dull its shine, but not shampooing it enough can cause it to clump at the ends and lose its swing and bounce. Once-a-week washing strikes a perfect balance. When shampooing, always comb your weave free of tangles while the hair is slathered with conditioner, so the comb doesn't pull and snag at the hair.

Keep oil off the adhesive. If your weave is glued in, you'll want to keep hair oil away from the weave tracks. Oil will cause the tracks to slip right out. It is a great aid in removing glued tracks when you're ready for a new look.

Touch up the top layer. If you know it's time for your weave to come down, but don't have the time or the money to get it redone immediately, try removing and reapplying just the top layer of hair. While the weave at the crown may be loosened, as long as the hair on top and at the perimeter looks fresh, you can wear the look for about a week longer.

Tip

Use a mild shampoo but not a clarifying one. Clarifying shampoos tend to strip the hair more quickly of its shiny finish.

If you're not comfortable taking down and reapplying the top layer of weave, you can have a beautician do it for a lot less money than you'd pay to have a full head of weave taken down and redone.